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Once there were Singers, and Jowetts and Rileys, then came the Mini--from the AutoWeek archives

Editor's note: As Mini celebrates its 50th birthday, it's the perfect time to revisit Kevin A. Wilson's insightful look at the fall of the British auto industry. This article was first published on March 8, 1993.

Skoda Rapid & Rapid Spaceback GreenLine from £17,195

Skoda Rapid & Rapid Spaceback GreenLine (pictured) cost from £17,195 With the Skoda Rapid already on the market, and its sibling with a hatch – the Rapid Spaceback – about to launch, Skoda is introducing the emissions-friendly GreenLine versions of both cars. Both the saloon (liftback) and the Spaceback (hatch) get the same 89bhp 1.6 litre diesel driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. Despite differences in dimensions and weight, Skoda are claiming the same 99g/km emissions and 74.3mpg for both saloon and Spaceback, practically perfect if you’re a company car driver.

Tesla Roadster vs Top Gear

As I’m sure many of you will have seen at the weekend, Clarkson got to play with the Tesla Roadster, an electric sports car based on the Lotus Elise. Made for interesting viewing. It was obvious that the weight of the batteries would compromise the handling, but its actual straight-line speed was a real revelation.